When Things Change
by Dolphingirl32173
Summary: 'When things change, nothing will ever be the same.' Elena is finding out that saying is all too true, starting during her road trip to Georgia with Damon. Damon/Elena
1. The Change

When Things Change  
DG32173

Sarah: was talking to my beta and came up with this lovely little story. I hope everyone enjoys. Here's the pre-story stuff and then the chapter.

DISCLAIMER  
If I owned TVD, Delena would have happened a LOT sooner. As it is, I only own what I write as well as what original creations I claim before the chapters they appear in. Everything else is owned by someone else.

WARNINGS  
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE! Starts during the Georgia episode in Season 1 and alters from there. Rated M for many lovely delights that are quite assuredly restricted to a mature audience. Also beware of much Stefan-bashing and plenty of embarrassing/awkward scenes. Primarily told from Damon's viewpoint but will have scenes told from Elena's viewpoint. You have been warned. If you continue reading, you can't lay the blame on me if you see something you don't like.

SUMMARY  
'When things change, nothing will ever be the same.' Elena is finding out that saying is all too true, starting during her road trip to Georgia with Damon. Damon/Elena

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Chapter 1  
The Change

I glance at Elena in surprise. "Seriously?" I ask, returning my gaze to the road. She had just requested that we go to another bar. Admittedly, all the alcohol she had consumed today had to have been chased from her system when Lexi's boyfriend had captured her, used her to lure me out of Bree's Bar, and subsequently beat the shit out of me before dousing me in gasoline. But still…

"Seriously," she replies firmly. "I need something strong to dull down what happened tonight. Otherwise I'll probably have nightmares when I try to get some sleep." I hesitate. "I tend to scream a lot when I have nightmares," she adds.

I decide that if I'm going to get any rest tonight to continue to recover from the injuries that bastard dealt me, I'll have to do what she asks. Her blood helped heal the broken bones, but I didn't dare drink a drop more than what I needed to heal that much. "Next town we come to, I'll find us a bar," I promise her. I take a quick glance at the juncture where her left shoulder meets her neck, checking for the faintest sign of where I had bitten her. I'm relieved to see that my blood healed her as if I'd never bitten her in the first place. I didn't give her much choice in the matter, reminding her there were still plenty of people in Mystic Falls who know exactly what a vampire bite looks like and that my bite on her was in a very difficult place to hide.

Not even half an hour later, I fulfill my promise to Elena by pulling into the parking lot of a bar. But it's not just any kind of bar: it's a vampire bar. Top quality drinks are assured here, the kind most humans will never get their hands on. I grab Elena's wrist as she goes to get out as soon as I park. She looks at me in confusion. "You should know that this isn't just an ordinary bar," I tell her.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"It's a vampire bar, and most of the humans who come here have no idea about the truth. They just think that the real vampires are just acting the part when they feed on the humans. Stay close to me and I'll make sure no one bothers you," I tell her. "On the other hand, the booze here is of such high quality, most humans will never even know such potency exists in alcohol."

Elena hesitates briefly, debating the pros and cons of entering a vampire bar. But in the end, she nods her assent. "I'll stick close to you," she promises.

I release her wrist and we both climb out of the Camaro. I lock up and lead her inside. As soon as we walk through the door, several heads around the room snap up to lock their gazes on Elena. I wrap an arm around her shoulder and clear my throat softly. Those same heads look at me. I immediately vamp out and snarl a warning at the vampires. They instantly find somewhere else to look.

"What was that about?" Elena asks softly as I guide her to the bar.

"They were vampires and I was letting them know you're under my protection. It's pretty much an unspoken rule in vampire bars that if a human walks in with a vampire and that vampire signals that the human is under their protection, then they're pretty much untouchable by anyone else. Some of the oldest vampires in the world run these bars and make sure that rule is upheld by all vampires, whether they were there when I made the sign or came in afterwards. And any transgressors will face not only the vampire who gave the protection sign, but also the vampire running the bar in a two-on-one fight. As soon as the transgressor is restrained, the one who's offering the protection can deal whatever retribution they please, even going so far as to kill the transgressor. And since the vampires who run the bar are some of the oldest in the world, even a newborn's claim of protection is respected," I explain.

We finally reach the bar and I have her sit on the stool at the far end of the bar, next to the wall. I take the stool next to her and signal the barkeep. "Now we wait," I tell her. "The vampires who run these bars compel the human bartenders to serve in order of arrival, no matter what. And prior compulsion takes precedence over a newer compulsion."

Elena nods in understanding and doesn't comment. It takes several minutes before the bartender finally makes it to us. "What'll it be?" he asks.

"Bourbon and coke for my girl here, seventy percent bourbon, thirty percent coke," I tell him. "And a bourbon Bloody Mary for me." He nods and quickly fixes our drinks. Elena frowns when the bartender adds what she knows damn well is blood to my drink, even though it comes from a bottle just like the alcohol bottles on the rack behind the bar - except this one is kept under the bar, out of sight. Finally, he slides our drinks to us and moves on to the next customer. Elena raises a questioning eyebrow at me and I know exactly what she's trying to ask. "I didn't drink enough of your blood to heal everything," I tell her softly. "I only drank enough to heal the broken bones. If I drank enough of your blood to heal all the injuries that guy inflicted, you wouldn't be able to sit up right now. Besides, I wasn't going to risk draining you completely as the Craving so desperately wanted me to."

She purses her lips before taking a sip of her drink, then gasps at the strength. "Damn, that's strong," she breathes in awe.

I shrug. "I warned you it was potent," I reply, taking a sip of my drink. Bourbon and blood aren't the only ingredients in it. There's also a fine selection of herbs to enhance the flavors of both the blood and the bourbon. I decide to turn up my wit and charm to the max on Elena as we drink and I am quickly rewarded by her laughter over my nearly limitless supply of jokes.

Unfortunately, even if she does have my blood in her, Elena is only human and the alcohol is pretty damn strong, so not even an hour later, she's swaying in her seat. I have to grab her arm to keep her from hitting the floor. "Okay, that's enough for you. Time for us to leave," I tell her, helping her stand up. I pay our tab and keep Elena close as we thread our way through the crowd to the door. I roll my eyes, but have to grin as the occasional giggle still bubbles up. Apparently, Elena is a happy drunk. "Let's get you to a motel," I tell her, carefully tucking her into the front seat of the car. I have to buckle her seatbelt for her.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm carrying her into our one-bed motel room in a Super 8 across town from the vampire bar. As soon as I close the door, Elena starts pressing kisses against my neck. I freeze, knowing I should make at least a token protest or risk her wrath in the morning. "Damon," she breathes against my skin, her arousal starting to perfume the air.

"Elena, are you sure you want this?" I ask, my jeans already uncomfortably tight around my hips. "Because if we go any further, I'm not going to be able to stop."

She responds by bringing my head around to press her lips hungrily to mine. "I did warn her," I tell myself as I give in. I carefully set her on her feet and the very first thing she does is push my jacket off my shoulders. Apparently, Drunk Elena goes from happy drunk to sex-beast faster than I thought possible. My jacket comes off as she fumbles with the buttons on my shirt, cursing like a sailor. I decide that, since this is not a John Varvatos shirt, it can go, so I rip it open, sending buttons flying all over the place. I then jerk her shirt over her head and toss it to the side. My mouth goes dry at the sight of her black lace and silk bra. It's a front close, and I fumble to release those luscious mounds of feminine flesh. Surprisingly, her breasts are a little fuller than Katherine's.

She sheds her bra and then her hands, a little steadier now, proceed to unbutton and unzip my fly. I shove my jeans off my hips and step out of them. When I look up, I see her eyeing my rock-hard erection hungrily, for all that it's hidden by my boxer-briefs. I kneel before her and flash a smirk up at her before unfastening her jeans and sliding them down her deliciously long legs. Once they're gone, I'm greeted with the sight of her panties, which match her bra. And by the scent of her arousal, I'm guessing those panties are already damp.

In the blink of an eye, I'm standing before her. I raise an eyebrow at her in challenge, tucking my thumbs in the waist of my underwear. She gets the hint and prepares to fully expose herself for my eyes. As one, we slip out of the last of the clothing covering us. When I look up, I look immediately to Elena's left hip, where a birthmark in the shape of two joined hearts with an arrow through them stands out prominently. Many would mistake it for a tattoo, considering how sharp the outline is, but I can tell it's a true birthmark. That's the biggest physical difference between Elena and Katherine, although there are several less noticeable ones between them.

"So there is a difference," I breathe. She looks at me in confusion. "Katherine doesn't have a birthmark," I inform her. Her mouth forms a silent 'o' in understanding.

Before she can think too much about it, I pull her into my arms and kiss her, grinding my hips against hers as a promise of things to come. She immediately parts her lips when I run my tongue over them, allowing me to delve my tongue into her mouth to taste and explore as I've wanted to do since I first laid eyes on her the night her parents died.

In a flash, she's pressed beneath me on the bed, and we're waging a war for dominance over her with our tongues. I can tell she lets me win without much of a fight. I finally have to pull my lips from hers so she can breathe. As she catches her breath, I trail kisses up her jawline, then down her throat, and to the swollen bud on her left breast. I latch my mouth on to that beautiful mound of flesh while cupping the other breast with my hand. I marvel that Elena's breast fits perfectly into my hand where Katherine's had been somewhat smaller.

I resolutely push the thoughts of Katherine out of my mind, determined to keep the rest of this experience purely about Elena. I proceed to alternate between suckling and nipping at the breast in my mouth while teasing and massaging the breast in my hand. I'm rewarded by Elena's gasps and moans of pleasure. Soon, I switch breasts and deal equal treatment to both before kissing my way over her flat stomach. I gently spread her legs far enough apart that I can lie down between them and finish kissing my way to that beautiful nexus of nerves that will excite the most pleasure from her.

She gasps as I latch my mouth over her clit. When I begin sucking and gently nipping at that bud, she begins mewling and gasping her pleasure. Once I finally decide she's ready, I ease one finger into her tight, moist core to begin carefully stretching her so I don't hurt her as much once I enter her. I alternate between curling and pumping that finger as I tease and pleasure her clit with my mouth. Soon, I add a second finger into her core, this time adding a scissoring action to the pattern. Finally, I add a third, all the while keeping up my attention to her clit. When I feel her walls tighten around my fingers, I know she's ready. I pull my fingers out and quickly lick them clean, listening with pleasure as she groans in disappointment. I then turn that into a moan of excitement by plunging my tongue into her tight, moist heat. She cries out my name - _my_ name - as the mere sensation of my tongue in her core sends her over the edge. I greedily lap up her sweet, sweet nectar.

When the flow finally stops, I kiss my way back up her beautiful body. I stop at the juncture where her left shoulder meets her neck and carefully line up my erection with her core as I slowly ease into her. I know I'm larger than even three fingers. I also know she's no longer a virgin; Stefan took care of that much. But he has no idea how to treat a woman in the bedroom – not properly, anyway. I'm also pretty sure I'm bigger than Stefan, in more ways than one. Elena's gasp of pain assures me that I'm right on both counts. I whisper gentle encouragement and compliments to her as I let her get used to my girth. With the help of the alcohol in her system, she recovers much sooner from the pain than she would have otherwise. I know the precise second when I can start, simply by feeling her tensed muscles relax around me. I twitch my hips just slightly and am rewarded by a delicious moan, and that's all I need. I slowly pull out until just the tip of my head is still inside her before I plunge back in. With each thrust, I pick up the pace a notch.

"Harder, faster," she begs between gasps and moans.

_As the lady wishes,_ I think and proceed to pick up the pace and strength all the way to that only achievable by a vampire. But I make sure that the bed takes most of the strength I'm putting into this. I don't want to shatter her pelvic bone, after all.

As I keep going, I suck and nip at the point where her left shoulder meets her neck, leaving her with what will be a highly noticeable hickey. Well, she would have one if she didn't still have some of my blood in her system. When we reach our explosive releases simultaneously, I groan her name and she screams mine. I collapse against her, taking care not to let my full weight land on her by keeping some of it braced on my arms.

"That was …," she starts breathlessly.

"We're not through just yet, kitten," I murmur seductively into her ear.

I can sense her shock and chuckle. I then proceed to prove to her I meant what I said about showing her a variety of sexual positions. In the process, I do something I have never done with another lover: I mark her so every vampire who comes across her will know she belongs to me. I gave up on Katherine completely after that first round. Not even she was a match for Elena. Being with Elena is amazing.

When I finally let her succumb to her exhaustion and she falls asleep, it's nearly three in the morning. I make sure we end up tangled so she will have no doubt about what's happened between us tonight, even though I have her sleeping on top of me. I stroke my fingers through her hair as I allow myself to drift off to sleep. I refuse to let her go back to Stefan after this. Not that he will be able to touch her like this again, because my scent will forever be mingled with hers, now that I have marked her as mine. It's a mark only another vampire will be able to identify because it's not a physical mark. But, even human males will know instinctively she is off limits to them from now on.

With these thoughts, I finally succumb to sleep.

**Elena**  
_10 a.m., the next morning_

As I slowly wake up, I vaguely wonder why I'm so damn sore. Something flutters at the edge of my awareness - a warning that things changed drastically at some point last night. As I am drawn further into the waking world, I discover I am tangled in the most intimate way with a thoroughly masculine body. I frown, knowing it can't be Stefan. After all, I left the boarding house in a rush of fury and pain after discovering that picture of Katherine and finding out he had lied to me about her appearance.

What happened next slowly comes back to me, in bits and pieces at first, then more of the details filling in as I wake up. By the time I'm fully awake, I remember pretty much everything up to the point of Damon taking me to the vampire bar. After the first two drinks, everything faded into a big blur.

Suddenly, I stiffen as I recognize the scent of the man beneath me, the man I'm tangled so intimately with: Damon. In that instant, last night returns in a flash. I snap my eyes open to see Damon's still asleep. He has to be; he would never allow such a peaceful expression to cross his features when he's awake. I tilt my head down to see that we are, in fact, tangled together so completely I couldn't possibly extricate myself without waking him up. Plus, I can feel his dick is still buried deep into my core - proof that my memories of last night really happened.

Such foul language starts falling off my tongue in a hoarse whisper that I'm surprised the air doesn't actually turn blue from it. Things couldn't possibly get any more awkward, right? Wrong!

Damon wakes up about that time, and watches me in amusement until the door of room swings open to allow Stefan to barge in. All three of us freeze, and I'm not sure if it's embarrassment about being caught like this with Damon by my ex that's heating up my cheeks, or rage that Stefan had the nerve to track us down after everything he's done. Or both. Damon and I are on top of the covers and Stefan can see just how tangled up we are.

Finally, Damon breaks the silence by saying, "Well, this isn't awkward at all."

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Sarah: well, talk about embarrassing. I'd love it if you review and tell me what you think!


	2. The Promise

When Things Change  
DG32173

Sarah: here's the second chapter! I think this fanfic is gonna be pretty fun to write. I hope you enjoy!

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_JMHUW:_ oh, wow! Thank you for the compliment! And, yeah, Stefan-bashing is one of my all-time favorite hobbies. While I won't go into actual _words_ this chapter, you'll get a great deal of general information on how Elena's going to be bashing Stefan this chapter. But after this chapter, don't expect to see much of Stefan for a while to come. When he _does_ come back into the picture, there will be even _more_ Stefan-bashing. I always felt that Elena shouldn't have forgiven Stefan during the Georgia episode. I mean, he _lied_ to her about her resemblance to Katherine _and_ he tried to withhold his knowledge of her adoption. So _not_ cool! Anyways, here's the chapter!

_YAZMIN V:_ I have _no_ idea how Stefan managed to track them down, but it was a major part of the storyline. Stefan's goal in doing so was to 'rescue' Elena from evil Damon's bad influence. And the mark Damon put on Elena will be explained as the story goes along, so I won't bother explaining it now. Glad you're already hooked. Here's more.

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Chapter 2  
The Promise

**Damon**

"Well, this isn't awkward at all," I say sarcastically. I never thought Stefan would get it in his head to track us down so he could "rescue" Elena from my influence. Having him burst into the hotel room to see the two of us twined together is way more than awkward on all fronts. Didn't take much imagination to figure out what we'd been up to.

Elena was caught between embarrassment at being caught in such a compromising position by her ex, and rage at having said ex go so far as to track us down. And then, my words made the rage take over. She snatches the pillow from underneath my head and throws it at Stefan with an ear-splitting shriek of fury. "Get out!" she yells at him. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

When he dodges the pillow but doesn't leave, she grabs the radio clock from the nightstand next to us and shies that at him, then the lamp, and even the Bible in the drawer. Only the Bible manages to hit its target: my brother's head. The others crash against the wall behind him.

I'm a little worried about how much this damage is going to cost me, but decide to just turn in the room key and say nothing about the collateral damage. I paid for the room in cash so it's not like they can track me down to make me pay for the property damage. And even if they do find me, I can always use compulsion to make them go away again.

When her attempts to drive my brother out fail, Elena starts spewing a litany of curses that surprises even me. Just where did she get such an in-depth knowledge of the fouler parts of the English language? Stefan's eyes bulge in shock. I know he had some idea this girl was a pure, sweet innocent, so her ability to cuss like a truck driver is even more surprising to him than it is to me, which is saying a lot. And unlike me, he's obviously finding this to be a tough pill to swallow, so to speak.

I watch in awed delight as she goes on and on about his faults in such a blunt, foul manner that Stefan takes her words as if they were physical blows. And then, just when I think she's finished, I have to choke back a laugh as she astonishingly dictates to him every single one of his faults in the bedroom compared to what I gave her last night. I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. I chuckle gleefully as Elena's comparisons between my expertise in the bedroom and his lack thereof makes Stefan beat a hasty retreat from the room. It was amazing to watch him as surprise warred with disgust over her in-depth descriptions of what we did last night.

When the door shuts behind him, Elena glares at it, almost as if she's daring him to come back in for another round. But he doesn't. Instead, I hear his car's engine start and then speed out of the motel parking lot with tires screeching.

She then grits her teeth in agitation because apparently, she wasn't quite finished yelling at him. Then she buries her face into my neck, attempting herself to calm down. I replay her entire diatribe against my brother in my head and can't keep from chuckling in amusement.

"What's so funny?" she asks against my skin.

I barely manage to suppress the wave of desire that sensation floods me with before it becomes obvious to her. "You were downright vicious," I reply. "I don't think I've ever witnessed the golden boy taken down so many notches in such a short amount of time."

"I wasn't even halfway through when he took off," she grumbles.

"He ran because he didn't want to hear any more about how much better I am in bed," I chuckle. "He's gonna have nightmares for weeks from the play-by-play you gave him." I glance at the mess next to the door and sigh. "Now, while I'm more than willing to show you much more along the lines of last night, we really need to get out of this motel and out of town before the staff sees the wreckage. We can go back to Mystic Falls or not – it's up to you - but you really need to tell Jenna where you are. As it is, she might very well ground you for going out of town without her permission."

Elena groans and pulls away from my neck. "You're right," she sighs. "And if I'm going to get grounded, I might as well have fun before we go back."

"And last night wasn't fun?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"It was a start," she admits. "I'm hoping for much more before we finally head back, though."

I let her pry herself out of my grasp and rise with her so that she's straddling my hips and my lips are still well within reach of hers. We both grimace when we realize what has to come next. I brace my hands on her hips and help her rise off my dick, both of us hissing at the loss. "We know that there's at least one vampire in town who is not supposed to be there," I remind her. "The one who caused your crash."

Elena purses her lips in thought before sighing. Rather than replying to that, she changes the topic. "What about you? When you said Bree was a witch, I knew the only reason you were looking for her was because you wanted a way into the tomb," she reminds me. "Did she give you a way before you killed her?"

I frown. "You were supposed to stay in the car."

"And I did. I realized as we were making our way to your car that Bree had to be the one who betrayed you to Lexi's boyfriend. I know you well enough by now to know that you'd kill her for doing it," she replies. "I figured it would be messy and gruesome so I decided to stay in the car rather than watch." She frowns at me. "So, did she give you a way to get into the tomb?"

I nod. "She did. But I changed my mind about opening the damn thing."

"Why?" she asks, surprised.

I smirk and trail my eyes over her naked body in such an obvious fashion that she immediately blushes. I return my eyes to hers. "I finally figured out she played me for a fool for 150 years. Even if Katherine is in there, which I'm starting to doubt considering how crafty she was, I've finally realized she had never planned to make a choice between my brother and me. She had plenty of time to make her choice, and that we both transitioned should have been a big sign she wanted to string us both along for eternity. And I don't like sharing. The only reason I put up with Katherine was because she assured me I was the one she wanted and she was just toying with Stefan. So, if she is in the tomb, I say let her rot for eternity. And if she isn't? Well, she never came to me in all the decades since then to tell me she was all right when she had to know how long I'd been looking for her."

Elena watches me with growing surprise as I speak. When I finish, she slowly shakes her head in wonder. "So what do you plan on doing now?" she asks.

I smirk and pull her forward so I can press my lips to hers in a relatively chaste kiss. When I pull back, I meet her eyes with a grin. "I plan on doing whatever the hell I have to in order to convince you to be mine for eternity," I reply. Her jaw drops at that bold statement. "I promise you, Elena, you will be mine and I'll convince you to let me turn you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will inevitably happen. That is a promise. And I'll have you know, I've never broken a promise I've made in my life."

An hour later

It took Elena a good five minutes to recover from her shock over my promise to her. Then we shared a thoroughly dirty shower before quickly getting dressed and leaving the motel. Now we're westbound, the top down and the wind in our hair. I'm driving with one hand and holding Elena's hand with the other. We're singing along to the songs on the radio, and I can tell that this road trip is going to be great.

At the next big town, we're going to have to stop and buy some stuff to make up for the lack of pre-trip packing. Elena is still wearing the jeans (and underwear) she had on the night of the crash. I loaned her a spare shirt. I'm wearing a whole new outfit. I normally keep extra clothes in the trunk, just in case. But I certainly don't have enough changes to last however long this road trip goes. And Elena has nothing to change into. Plus, we need soap, toothbrushes - everything. So, yeah, next big town, we've gotta stop and do some shopping.

But I'm sure this is going to be a great road trip. At least, it will be after Elena makes the inevitable call to Jenna to let her know what's really going on. And I have a funny feeling I'm going to have to spill the beans that Elena may be adopted. Stefan would know for sure, but Elena would probably go ballistic on him all over again next time they cross paths. But other than those two tiny issues, things are beginning to look damn good for a change.


	3. The Decision

Sarah: sorry about how short last chapter was but I really wanted the shopping to take place in its own chapter. So, here's chapter three. But first, review replies!

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_PattyFleur87:_ you keep giving me such awesome compliments! Here's the next chapter!

_jairem:_ in response for your review of chapter 1, yeah, view of his life indeed: the girl he loves naked and sexually entangled with his just as naked brother! Probably a scene right out of one of his nightmares! In response for your review of chapter 2, I haven't seen that many episodes of Season 5, so I wouldn't know how to respond to that. But, I can agree in that Elena should have called Stefan on his bullshit at least half a dozen times each of the first four seasons. And yeah, Damon is _definitely_ possessive of her already.

_JMHUW:_ I don't mind long reviews. I actually enjoy reading the in-depth view of the reviewer's thoughts that the long reviews reveal to me. And yes, I'm also sad that Elena didn't get to finish her rant. But as you said, that just saves more for later. And in the meantime, she will be stewing over what more she will say to him on the subject in the back of her mind. As for the vision of charts and graphs you have, well, I might very well have her draw some up over the course of her road trip with Damon. And you're right, if Stefan had been more aware of Elena as a _person_ rather than just her face, he _would_ have known that there had to be hidden depths to her personality that he had yet to uncover. Not that he'll ever be given another chance to do so after how royally he had bungled his relationship with her. And even in the early episodes of Season 1, Damon has _always_ been as honest with Elena as the situation allowed for. He _always_ respected her enough as a person to give her as much of the truth as he could at the time. And that pattern will keep up throughout the fanfic.

* * *

Chapter 3  
The Decision

Elena raises an eyebrow at me when I pull into the parking lot of a large shopping mall. "I didn't think you were the type who'd be satisfied with shopping at a mall," she tells me as we climb out.

I lock up and meet her at the back of my car. I wrap an arm around her shoulders and guide her inside. "Well, I highly doubt you'd let me show you the kinds of places where I normally shop," I reply, winking at her. "So I figured the next best place would be a mall. Plenty of options to choose from, after all."

She chuckles as we step through the electric doors into the air-conditioned walkway between a jewelry store and a shoe store. I tug her towards the jewelry store. While I'd love to give her my mother's jewelry as protection against vampires, I think it's a bit early in our relationship for such an intimate gift. She frowns at me. "Damon, what are you…?" she starts.

"You left the necklace my brother gave you behind in your rush to escape him. I figured I'd replace it with something much nicer," I reply, knowing she'll read around what I am saying to see what I mean.

"Oh, right," she says, nodding her understanding.

"Besides, I have a much better eye for jewelry than he does, apparently," I tease. "I can't believe he gave you such a gaudy piece of junk. If I hadn't been there for his birth, I'd say he was adopted. I can't believe I'm related to him."

"Well, the necklace did stand out," she concedes.

"Stand out?" I demand. "It did more than 'stand out'! It was gaudy and hideous! And it has to be older than even I am!"

Elena laughs at that inside joke. "Okay, I'll let you buy me something new to replace it," she replies when she finally gets control of her giggles.

"Excellent decision, my dear," I tell her, guiding her into the jewelry store. We spend the next hour closely examining nearly every necklace and bracelet in the store. I wave aside Elena's protests when she sees the prices. "I have plenty of money, Elena," I assure her. "Allow me to treat you the way you should be treated." I finally wear down her protests and she soon starts looking at even the more expensive pieces with a critical eye for detail. We agree on an extravagant, heart-shaped 18-karat gold locket with a heart-shaped sapphire embedded in the front surrounded by pink diamond chips, even though it takes a good deal of wheedling on my part to get her to accept the $1,500 price tag. When I buy her the matching charm bracelet that costs nearly $750, Elena nearly goes through the ceiling over how much I'm willing to spend on her. I just chuckle and tell her this is only the beginning, and she'd better get used to it. She groans at that. The woman behind the counter gives her a sympathetic smile.

When the woman starts to put the items in their boxes, I stop her and say I'd prefer that my girl wear the jewelry out of the store. Elena gives me a dark look but can't very well make a scene with so many people in the store. I take the jewelry from the woman and carefully fasten the locket around her neck. When I fasten Elena's new charm bracelet around her left wrist, I use it as a cover to pass her the small bag of sprigs of dried vervain I carry with me. She looks at me in shock and mouths 'now?' I nod and she sighs before pulling out the tiniest sprig and raising her hand up to her locket. She unclasps the locket and slips the tiny sprig into it before clasping it shut again, and returns the baggie to me.

As soon as we step out of the store, Elena stops in her tracks. I look at her in confusion. "You know the jingle, don't you?" she teases, glancing up at the store sign, for Kay Jewelers.

I follow her gaze. It takes a second for it to hit me: "Every kiss begins with Kay." As soon as I look back at her, she leans up to press her lips to mine briefly before pulling away. I chuckle and wrap my arm around her shoulders as she wraps hers around my waist. "I do know the jingle," I admit, guiding her over to the map of the mall. "I just didn't think you'd actually follow through with it."

Once we arrive at the mall map, we study it and Elena suggests, "Let's start on the top floor and work our way back down here."

"Where do you want to start?" I ask her.

"Let's hit every store," she says cheekily. "Just to see what they have."

"Even the toy store?" I ask dubiously.

"Aw, c'mon, Damon," she begs. "Don't you know that toy stores in malls usually have a good selection of the toys out on display where the kids can play with them?"

"We're not kids," I remind her.

"Who cares?" she retorts. "You've obviously never been in a toy store! It's about time to remedy that!"

I sigh, knowing she's not going to back down from this no matter what I do or say. I resign myself to the fact that she's going to make me look like an idiot in a toy store. I let her drag me up the stairs all the way to the third floor. Thankfully, the toy store is on the first floor. Our first stop is a bookstore, which is fine with me. Despite the popular notion that Stefan is the only Salvatore brother who buries his nose in a book, I happen to enjoy reading.

Elena and I soon discover that our tastes in books overlap on just about every genre. When we finally make it to the checkout, I start to realize just how much this girl is going to cost me. Her basket is piled nearly to overflowing with the books we both agreed on as well as a few journals and packages of pens to make up for the fact that her journal is still in its hiding spot in her room. Not that I can't afford it. My usual shopping trips for clothes would cost more than what I'll pay throughout this mall trip.

Unfortunately, like any guy who is stuck shopping with his girl, I have to carry all the bags. But, unlike those other guys, I can handle it easily. Elena's sheer enthusiasm is contagious and I find myself wearing a grin. Our next stop is a shoe store. Elena browses through the selection of boots, searching for just the right pair. She chooses a pair of black leather boots with one-inch heels that rise to just an inch below her knees and tries them on, twisting this way and that, scrutinizing them before practicing walking in them.

Finally, she turns to me. "What do you think?" she asks, striking a pose.

I study the boots, knowing my vampire eyes will be able to do so much more intensely than her human ones. Finally, I smirk. "I like them," I tell her.

"I'll get them, then," she tells me, and takes them off. She puts the boots in their box and sets the box on the seat. "Stay here. I'm gonna go look around and see what else I can find," she tells me. I roll my eyes but acquiesce. It's not like anyone would grab her in such a crowded mall. She'd put up too much of a fuss and draw too much unwanted attention if someone tried it.

**Elena**

As I walk away from Damon to investigate the aisle of shoes dedicated to strappy heels, I smile to myself. I've never been on a shopping trip where my budget was only limited by what I want. That was exactly what Damon told me: "Whatever you want, I'll get it for you." I briefly wonder if Damon's ever taken a girl shopping before and quickly decide that it's doubtful, or he wouldn't have been so quick to say that. It's a good thing I have to keep in mind everything needs to fit in his car without blocking the back window. And it's a good thing for him he has such a small car.

I shake myself out of my thoughts and start examining the strappy heels with a practiced eye. I finally grab two pairs and go back to where Damon's sitting. He arches an eyebrow at the boxes in my hand. I just smile at him and sit down on the seat he was saving for me. I pull out the first pair of heels, 4-inch black leather stiletto heels with straps crisscrossing up my calf to buckle just below my knee.

"Those could put an eye out," Damon remarks dryly.

I chuckle. "I think the original purpose of this kind of heel was a means of defense against an attacker." I put the shoes and walk a few paces back and forth, testing the feel of the shoes, which are open-toed and are more skin than strap on my feet. I finally decide I like them and return so I can try on the more modest pair of one-inch heeled strappy black sandals. I decide I like these, too. "Okay, I've got what I want from this store," I tell Damon, putting the heels back in their boxes and slipping back into my trusty sneakers.

"Then let's get these paid for and move on," he replies with a grin.

At the register Damon swipes his black debit card and I'm amused to see that his PIN is Stefan's birthday. But then I remember that their mother had died giving birth to Stefan so it could be honoring either of them, or maybe even both. I decide it's best not to comment.

Damon then accepts the large bag and makes an extravagant gesture for me to lead the way. I laugh and lead him out of the shoe store and into the next store - a Coach outlet. Thirty minutes later, I walk out with a black snakeskin crossbody purse, and tucked inside is a crocodile leather wallet. Damon is also carrying a bag containing a new leather jacket for each of us.

Suddenly, Damon's keen vampire eyes spot something ahead of us just as I'm about to turn into Hot Topic. He taps me on the shoulder. I look at him in confusion. "You go on in. I just spotted some shopping carts up there," he tells me. I frown. I don't want him to leave me. "I won't even be gone a minute," he promises.

I sigh and nod before making my way into the store. I'm browsing through some caps when I sense someone stop next to me. My body tenses and that alone tells me that it's not Damon. Close proximity to Damon always makes me relax. I turn to find a guy studying me in a way that sends a chill down my spine. "Hey there, beautiful," he says.

"I'm taken," I tell him shortly and go back to the hats. Unfortunately, the hat rack is in a back corner of the store, hidden by high shelves.

He grabs my arm and turns me back to him. "You're here all alone," he points out.

"My boyfriend is coming back and he'll be here any second," I tell him coolly. "I suggest you let go of me and leave me alone if you value your life. He's very territorial when it comes to me, and he is very dangerous."

"I think I'll take my chances," the guy says cockily.

I feel Damon behind me before he snarls, "Bad move," and grabs the guy's wrist so tight that his hand holding my wrist spasms just long enough for me to slip free. Damon turns the guy towards him, grabs him by the throat, and forces him to meet his eyes. "When a lady says she's taken, she's obviously not interested," he hisses. "Most guys would just call security on you for harassing their girl. But I'm not most guys and you chose to harass what's mine."

"What are you going to do to me?" the guy manages to gasp out with what little air Damon's permitting him. "You can't kill me. There are too many people in here!"

Damon slowly lets the face of the vampire hiding inside of him flow out. "None of these humans can take me," he snarls. The guy gasps and starts scrabbling at Damon's hand. Damon smirks and morphs his face back to that of a man. "Besides, no one thinks to put the blame on the people who found the body."

I suck in a sharp breath as Damon reaches his free hand around the back of guy's neck. I avert my gaze as Damon's fingers settle on either side of the guy's spine. A sharp crack tells me what he did. _Knowing_ he's killed a lot of people is one thing. Standing two feet away as he snaps someone's neck is quite another.

"Now Elena, go tell the clerk that you and I found a guy who's unresponsive back here," Damon instructs softly.

He doesn't have to tell me to act shaky. I'm already trembling like a leaf from being so close as he ruthlessly murdered someone. I dart toward the front of the store. The attendant sees me. "Miss, what's wrong?" he asks.

"M-my boyfriend and I … we f-found a guy passed out on the floor back b-by the h-hats," I tell him, my voice shaking from the emotional turmoil I'm experiencing. "H-he's not responding!"

The guy pales and follows me to where Damon's putting on a damn good act of being worried about the guy. "I didn't want to touch him in case something had happened to cause him to collapse," Damon says, his voice convincingly full of worry. If I hadn't been right there as he snapped the guy's neck, even I would think he was concerned.

The store attendant kneels down and checks for a pulse. Not finding one, he immediately pulls out his walkie-talkie. "Security! Code Black in Hot Topic!" he says into it, his voice shaking. He looks at us as he rises to his feet. "I need you two to stay here and give your statement when Security gets here," he tells us.

"What's wrong with him?" I ask, playing the role Damon set for me.

"I don't know. I can't say," the attendant replies tersely before quickly getting the aid of the other clerk roaming the floor in getting the growing crowd to stand back.

Thankfully, there aren't that many ways to get to this particular corner of the store. The security guards and EMTs and the police finally push through the crowd, and the clerk I talked to is pulled aside for a moment. During his conversation, he briefly motions to Damon and me.

One of the police officers makes his way to us. The EMTs are carrying a stretcher and go to the body while the other officers set up a perimeter. The officer stops in front of us. "I'm Sgt. Darren Peters, metro police. I'm told you two were the ones who found the body?" and he makes it more of a question than a statement.

By now, I've reached the stage of shock where I can't do anything for myself, much less speak. Damon gently wraps an arm around my shoulder. "Yes sir," he says. "My girlfriend's going into shock, so I'll answer any questions you have."

"How did you find the body?" the sergeant asks.

"I went to grab a shopping cart," Damon begins, motioning to the cart next to us. "I told Elena to go ahead into the store while I got it. By the time I caught up with her, she had made it down to that aisle there," he says, "and when we turned the corner, we saw the man just lying there. We didn't know what had happened to him. I sent Elena to get help for him. I tried to rouse him with my voice, but he didn't even budge. Then Elena got back with the sales guy and he checked for a pulse, but he didn't respond, so he called you guys."

Suddenly, one of the men examining the body comes over and whispers something in the sergeant's ear. He scowls at whatever the man is saying. Damon would know exactly what was said, with his superior vampire hearing. But I'm guessing the man inspecting the body just told our guard about the broken neck. "Well, this complicates matters," the sergeant sighs.

"What does, sir?" Damon asks, as if he didn't know.

"The coroner says the man didn't just happen to fall and die on his own. Someone snapped his neck," he answers. He turns to the coroner. "Any ID on the body?"

The man looked through the pockets and produced a wallet, which he handed to the sergeant. The officer looked at the ID and said, "Oh, my God."

"What is it?" Damon asked.

"This body is one Jack Harris, a serial rapist with several outstanding warrants up and down the East Coast. We just got a bulletin on him a couple of days ago. And now he ends up dead." He shook his head.

Damon grimaces and I feel all the color drain from my face. I can't believe just how close I came to being one of this guy's victims. I cling tightly to Damon, my trembling renewed with a vengeance.

"And while I do say the guy had it coming, I still have to look for his murderer," the sergeant says. "Unfortunately, the likelihood of succeeding is next to nil."

"And why is that?" Damon asks.

"The way Harris chose his victims was by cornering a woman in a part of a store that is a complete blind spot on the security cameras. And this corner is just such a spot because of these shelving units around us," the guard explains. "So, unless our killer was careless enough to leave some trace of DNA on our dead rapist," which I knew Damon would never do, "we might never know who killed him."

Damon and I exchange looks equally filled with fright and relief. Fright over just how close I came to becoming a rape victim and relief that Damon had arrived in time to put an end to the sadist's life before that happened. "Is there anything else you need us for?" Damon asks. "I think my girlfriend would like to find a place to sit down."

"Just give me your names so I can file them in my report and then you can go. Your girlfriend looks about ready to faint," the guard replies.

Damon gives him our names, using one of the numerous aliases he's concocted for just such a situation. Then we grab our shopping cart and get the hell out of the store. Damon shepherds me to the food court and ushers me into a Starbucks and helps me ease down into a corner booth with my back to the crowd, while he sits across from me so he can keep an eye on both me and on everyone else. I keep my eyes fixed on Damon as he goes to the counter to order. I can't let him out of my sight. Not now.

"You haven't heard what happened in Hot Topic, have you?" Damon asks softly. The cashier shakes her head, obviously confused. "We stumbled across a dead guy." She gasps. "As you can understand, my girl's in shock over the ordeal. I'm hoping some coffee will help settle her nerves."

"Of course," the waitress agrees. "Do you know what you'd like?"

"Venti Salted Caramel Mocha for both of us please," he replies.

"I'll put a rush on it," she replies, as she moves to the espresso machine.

Damon comes back to sit next to me. "Elena, talk to me," he says softly.

I open my mouth but only a sob escapes as tears start running down my cheeks. Damon pulls me against him, and I bury my face into his jacket and let the tears run freely, trying to be quiet. Damon holds me close and murmurs soft reassurances into my hair that he's here, that he won't let anything happen to me, that he'll always protect me.

The cashier actually brings our coffee and leaves it on the table in front of us, without a word. I can feel Damon sipping coffee as he comforts me. When I finally start to calm down, Damon hands me my cup. I drink deeply from the now lukewarm beverage. "That's my girl," he says softly. I have no idea how many cups he's been through, but his mug is full again and his normally cool skin is now almost as warm as a human's. "Talk to me, Elena," he says softly. "It's not healthy to repress this."

"He was going to … and I was … and if it weren't for you," I babble, verging on hysteria all over again.

"Shh, shh, it's over now," Damon assures me, holding me close with one arm and gently stroking my cheek with his other hand. "He's been dealt with. No one will ever suffer at his hands again. Now, drink the rest of your mocha and relax." He hands me the cup and I obediently drink the rest. "Be right back." He goes to the counter again and gets something else.

"Herbal tea. This will help settle your nerves," he says as he hands me the cup. "Now, Elena, you can't think about the 'what if' scenarios. Dwelling on how something would have turned out if this or that had happened differently will give you as many brood lines as my brother and for the same damn reason. That's all he does, you know. He lives his life dwelling on what could've been rather than what is. You don't want to end up like my brother, do you?" he asks teasingly. I shake my head vehemently. "Good. I don't think I could handle two of him in my life. One is bad enough. Now, in order to not end up like my brother, you need to live in the here-and-now and not worry about the 'what ifs' in life. Remember, I got to you in time. That's all that matters. Anything else is just a 'what if', which ends with you becoming a female version of my brother. Since we've already agreed that that's not going to happen, you need to take a deep breath and let it go. Now, take a deep breath and hold it," he orders. I do so. "When you let it out, I want you to let all those niggling 'what ifs' running around in your head leave with that breath. Now breathe out."

I obey and forcefully expunge the 'what ifs' wreaking havoc on my mind. I immediately feel lighter, freer.

"Good girl. Now, finish your tea and let's get some real food. You must be starving." I'm startled to realize that he's right. Without all those worries tying my stomach up in knots, it's now letting me know that I have not fed it today.

We leave the coffee shot and it's not long before we're seated at one of the tables littering the pavilion in the food court, eating double cheeseburgers from Burger King, both of us with a large order of fries. Before he let me have my burger, he took the pickles off and put them on his own. It made me smile to see that he hadn't forgotten our little discussion over the pickles on the burger at Bree's place.

About halfway through our meal, Damon sighs. "You still have to call Jenna," he reminds me.

I nod and finish my food. I dig my phone out of my purse and turn it on for the first time in days. I'm startled to see I have numerous missed calls and texts. I shouldn't be surprised, though, considering my loved ones in Mystic Falls only know I've been MIA for nearly two days. I grit my teeth and look through my texts first. The first batch is from Bonnie, starting from about the time I found Katherine's picture in Stefan's room.

_Had vision, need 2 talk 2 u about it – B_

_C'mon, girl, where r u? – B_

_Ok, I'm calling if u don't call bak in next 5 mins – B_

"Did Bonnie call at any time the night I crashed?" I ask Damon.

"A call came in, but I didn't check to see who it was, nor did I answer it. I figured it was probably Steffie trying to get hold of you to find out where you went," he says.

"Apparently, Bonnie had a vision about the same time I found Katherine's picture lying on Stefan's desk," I tell him.

Damon's eyebrows rise in surprise. "Well, you can't call her right now," he points out. "It's barely fourth period."

I sigh. "I'll call her later," I tell him. "Whatever this vision was, it was obviously important enough for her to send three texts and call when I didn't reply."

I skim over the rest of the texts from Bonnie, noting her growing concern about my lack of response. Then I check the few texts I got from Caroline, but nothing major pops out at me. I grimace at the long list of texts from Jenna and don't even bother reading them, since I'm about to call her. I sigh and decide to check my voicemail.

"Elena, where the hell are you?" Bonnie's voice demands agitatedly as soon as the first voicemail starts. "I had this crazy vision about you, Stefan, Damon, and some picture of a girl that looked like you but the picture was labeled Katherine, 1864. We need to talk. Call me as soon as you get this."

The next voicemail is also Bonnie. It was left during lunch break yesterday. "Elena, whatever is going on, you can talk to me, you know that, right? I can't say too much right now cause there are so many people around, but I need to know why you aren't in school today. I'll cover for you as much as I can where Jenna's concerned, but don't expect me to lie for you. You know I'm a terrible liar and she'll see right through me. Call me. I still need to talk to you about what I mentioned on the last message."

I look up at Damon and notice he looks just as worried about Bonnie's messages as I am. I play the next message, which was left by Jenna last night while I was talking Lexi's boyfriend into sparing Damon's life.

"Look, Elena, you know I don't have very many rules where you and Jeremy are concerned. I don't know what your reason for hanging up on our call was, but, frankly, I don't care. You need to tell me why you felt you had to lie about where you were last night and today. On top of that, I get a call telling me you had skipped school! If you can't give me a damned good reason for all this, you are grounded until the day you graduate high school!"

I sigh. "I'd better call Jenna and get it over with," I tell Damon.

"What are you going to tell her?" he asks.

"A heavily watered-down version of the truth," I reply. "And even if she elects to ground me until the day I die, well, you plan on convincing me to make that day much sooner than she expects. So I'm going to milk this road trip for all the fun and excitement I can."

"Before you call her, there's something I should tell you," he says.

I frown when I notice that he had put his guard up. Whatever he's going to tell me, it's big. "What?" I ask.

"You're probably wondering about your connection to Katherine," he replies.

"Yeah," I say slowly.

"I have a theory. Just a theory, mind you, but I can't think of anything that would counter it," he tells me.

"What is this theory?" I ask.

"I think you might be adopted. I'm not sure, but that's the only thing I can come up with to explain how you look so much like Katherine," he tells me.

I feel as if I had just been punched in the gut. Of all the things I had thought he would say, that was not one of them. But as I think about it, I realize that he's right in that it's the only conceivable reason behind my resemblance to Katherine. I take a shaky breath. "I'll ask Jenna," I tell him softly. "She'll know."

I have to concentrate to keep my hands from shaking as I look up Jenna's name on my contacts list and hit send. I put the phone to my ear and listen as it rings once, twice, and then she picks up.

"Elena, where the hell are you? Why did you lie to me about where you were? I thought we were closer than that!" Jenna snaps.

Her anger fuels my own. "Am I adopted, Jenna?" I demand.

She inhales sharply. "Who told you?" she asks.

That's all I need to know it's true. "We weren't sure before now. Why didn't you tell me? 'I thought we were closer than that'," I say, throwing her own words back at her.

"Elena, I … your parents were planning on telling you when you turned eighteen," she says apologetically. "I never thought it would fall on me to tell you."

"You still should have told me," I tell her.

She sighs. "Where are you? Why did you feel the need to lie to me?"

"Two nights ago, I was hanging out with Stefan and I stumbled across a photo of his ex. I discovered that I have an uncanny resemblance to her. I felt used and betrayed because he had lied to me about what she looked like," I tell her. "I ran from the boarding house and wrecked my car. Damon was nearby and pulled me out. I passed out, but since I didn't have any serious injuries and he had already been planning a road trip, he decided to take me along. This morning, Stefan barged in on us in our motel room without warning. I need to get away from him, so I'm going to be travelling with Damon for a while. Maybe Stefan will realize he screwed up his chances with me."

"But what about school?" Jenna protests.

"It's not like I won't have the rest of my life to finish high school," I tell her. "Plenty of people way up there in age going to high school these days." Damon snorts at the slight against Stefan. "I need to get away from Stefan before I lose control of my temper and give in to the urge to kill him."

Jenna sighs. "Well, it's not like I can force you to come back," she concedes. "Just, be careful, okay?"

"Damon will keep me safe," I tell her. "Love you, Jenna."

"I know he will. Love you, too, kid."

**Damon**

Elena hangs up with her aunt and sighs as she tucks her phone back into her purse. I catch her hand. "I promise you, I will keep you safe," I tell her.

It had been hell to see her so hysterical over that close call we had suffered when I had taken just a few minutes away from her. If I had been even a minute slower in returning to her, well, I don't want to contemplate what that bastard would have done to her. I've done many awful things in my decades as a vampire, committed many sins. But I have never resorted to rape. If my intended partner said "no," I accepted it. I didn't even use compulsion to change "no" to "yes." After all, there are billions of people in this world. There were always plenty of people who would say "yes."

"I know you will," she says softly.

"I also promise that if I am ever unable to keep you safe, I'll make sure you're all right before exacting vengeance on the one who hurt you," I vow.

She nods. I release her hand and she finishes her fries. The second I chose to make Elena mine for eternity, the drive to protect her intensified exponentially. Finding that bastard harassing my girl filled me with more fury than I'd ever experienced in my long life. Finding out what he had chosen to do with his life and realizing he intended making Elena his next victim sent fear coursing down my spine. I mistakenly thought my mark on her would keep even humans at bay. I never realized someone would ignore the instinct to leave her alone that my mark would instill in them. Now I know I can no longer be concerned solely with any vampires who come across her. Even humans can hurt her. I need to be doubly protective of her. Our near miss has proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

I finish my meal, but I know I'm going to need blood soon. The experience with the rapist caused my inner vampire to demand blood. And I can't feed from a human to satiate it. I would end up draining them dry. So Elena and I are going to have to find a blood bank.

We stop at JC Penney's because we are both in dire need of clothing for this trip. I don't usually buy anything but designer, but I don't have much choice in the matter right now. So Penney's it is.

I'm pleasantly surprised at the variety offered by this store. I stay close to Elena, only allowing her privacy in the changing rooms. Not that I don't know every inch of her beautiful body, which actually doesn't resemble Katherine's as closely as her face does. I had placed a kiss on every inch of her body last night while marking her as mine.

She comes out with some basic tops and jeans, and a skirt or two. I have a feeling she's plans on waiting until we get to Victoria's Secret to buy underwear. I tend to go commando more often than not, so I don't really need any more pairs than what I have in the trunk.

We do check out another shoe store on the second floor, where Elena purchases two pairs of dressy shoes at my suggestion, one pair black and the other white. She raises an eyebrow at me when I suggest she buys them, but I just smirk and she sighs before getting them, knowing I'll explain their purpose when I decide the time is right and not a second sooner.

As I guessed, Elena drags me into the outlet on the second floor that sells designer formalwear. She enlists my help in picking out a handful of outfits for whatever formal occasions we might stumble upon during our travels. I decide to compliment my wardrobe with four new tuxes so she won't outshine me. But by the looks on the faces of the customers and clerks who see Elena as she steps out of the changing room in each outfit to model for me, I can tell that for once in my life, she still might put me in the shade. Even the women are watching her with forlorn expressions. Even the men are watching her. If it weren't for the fact that her attention never strays from me, I would be too jealous to see straight. But her eyes never stray from me and her shy smiles at the open appreciation on my face send a thrill of pride through me.

When we finally leave the store, Elena has six gowns, three in black and three in white. As we pass through the food court on the first floor on the way to Victoria's Secret, Elena spots a frozen yogurt place and makes a beeline for it. I roll my eyes but follow. She obviously loves the place and just as obviously hasn't been to one in a long time.

When we are finally seated with our desserts, Elena confesses that she hasn't been to a place like this since before her parents died and that her mom used to take her to the one in Richmond at least once a month. I have to admit, to myself at least, that every other woman I had 'dated' would have most likely put up a fuss about being taken to a frozen yogurt place. Elena was just happy to do something simple like this. She eats her strawberry yogurt with a look of contentment.

Suddenly, she looks up from her dessert to catch me studying her. "What?" she asks, suddenly skittish. That's another thing: she doesn't like being the center of attention. Most other woman I've kept company with thrived when all eyes were on them.

"You're not like any other woman I've known," I admit.

"Oh?" she asks, fingering her new locket self-consciously.

"Don't worry. It's not a bad thing by any means," I tell her. I start eating again and Elena sighs, knowing I won't say any more on the subject right now.

We finish the yogurt then move on, making our way to Victoria's Secret. Now, this kind of shopping, I can deal with. I repeatedly hold up underwear sets in her size that I know she would never wear. Every time, she scowls at me, snatches the set, and stuffs it back on the rack. In the end, though, I do manage to convince her to buy a few lacy, silky sets in various colors. None of them are nearly as immodest as the ones I teasingly held up, but then again, she just might wear them for me.

We've said the "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" words to others, and she hasn't told me to knock it off, yet. So at least I know she's going to give me a chance to take over a significant place in her heart. She knows a little about what I was like before I arrived in Mystic Falls, but not in any detail. She even knows what I did to Caroline when I used the blonde chatterbox as a distraction. She witnessed my enraged attempt to drain the life from Bonnie in revenge for Emily using the girl as a means to destroy the crystal I had been determined to use to open the tomb.

She knows I have used many people as a means of amusement and food over the course of my vampire life, more than she could possibly guess at. She knows I've killed more people than she even wants to contemplate, for reasons ranging from simple boredom to betrayal. And, despite it all, she is still willing to give me a chance at winning her heart for eternity. She must not be as pure and innocent as my brother had mistakenly assumed, that's for sure. I wonder what secrets she harbors about her own past and what I can do to convince her to share them with me. After all, I have a darker past than she can guess. None of her secrets could come anywhere near to matching even the mildest of my sins.

Elena clings to my arm and rests her head on my shoulder as I push our shopping cart out of the mall. Neither of us were much in the mood for her to show me the so-called 'joys' of a toy store. We did manage to find a store selling luggage and had purchased a large variety for our purchases. It takes us nearly half an hour to neatly pack our things into the luggage and arrange it in the trunk of my car. Thank goodness for the big trunks in '60s era cars.

It's getting on toward dusk. "You should call Bonnie when we get on the road," I tell Elena.

She nods and gets in the car. I slide in under the steering wheel, start the engine, pull out of the parking lot, and immediately head for the interstate.

Elena gets her phone out so she can call Little Miss Witch, who picks up midway through the first ring. "Elena, where the hell are you?" she demands.

Elena grimaces. "I'm on the road with Damon," she says honestly.

The witch groans. "Why are you 'on the road' with him?" she asks.

Elena sighs. "I found a picture of Katherine in Stefan's room," she says. "And guess what? He _lied _to me about her looks! Bonnie, I look like _her_ – Katherine. And I'm not talking about just a resemblance. I could be her identical twin!"

The witch gasps. "So my vision was real," she breathes. She sighs. "Am I right in assuming that Stefan somehow tracked you and Damon down this morning?"

Elena winces. "Yeah," she replies.

"I'm not even gonna ask. But you should know, my vision the other night was actually more like a series of snapshots that were there and gone so fast I only got a vague impression of what I was seeing. It started as a vision of you holding a picture labeled Katherine, 1864. When I consulted Grams yesterday afternoon about my vision, she warned me against telling anyone else everything I saw, including you and Damon. Just know that something's going to happen in the next few months for you two that is going to be a real eye-opener for everyone when you finally come back home. Be safe in your travels, okay?"

We exchange worried looks. "Damon will take care of me, Bonnie," she tells the witch.

"I know he will," the witch sighs. "That's what I'm worried about. Anyway, keep in touch, girl."

"I will," Elena promises. "Try to break this as gently as possible to Caroline for me, okay? You're better at getting her to accept things like this than I am."

Bonnie groans. "Leaving the hardest part to me, huh? I'll be lucky if she doesn't chew my head off for not stopping you, as if it's my fault that Stefan betrayed you and Damon rescued you. I'll do what I can. If all else fails, I'll remind her this means that Matt won't have anyone to focus on except her while you're away and that by the time you get back, he will have finally allowed himself to move on."

"Thanks, Bonnie. Just do me one big favor, would you?" Elena says.

"As if getting Caroline to accept this isn't already a big favor," Bonnie sighs. "What is it?"

"Could you and Grams take care of everyone while I'm gone? I have a feeling that something bad might happen if no one keeps an eye on things," Elena says softly. "I can't trust Stefan."

"We're already keeping our eyes open," Bonnie assures her. "There isn't much that'll be able to get past us."

"Thanks," Elena says softly. "Well, I'll try to call you tomorrow with an update on what's going on with us. I'll make sure to call at least twice a week to exchange news."

"You'd better or I'm going to find some way to track you two down and make you both pay for worrying me," Bonnie warns.

"I know you would," Elena assures her. "Talk to you later."

"Later," the witch replies. The girls then hang up.

"You didn't tell her about what happened in Hot Topic."

"She would freak out if she knew." she replies. "It's done. You protected me. And it will stay between us. Please, Damon. I'm not even going to write it down in my new journal. I just want to forget it ever happened."

I purse my lips. Repressing things, particularly things like this, tends to backfire at the worst possible moments. But I can't push her into talking about it. She'll just shut down on me and lock me out. I sigh in resignation, deciding I'll just have to wait for her to reach a point in time when she's ready to talk about it. "Okay, I won't bring it up again," I promise her, hoping that she'll be ready to talk about it soon. I'm worried she might fall victim to nightmares over it until she does.

Well, one way to keep the nightmares at bay would be to keep her thoughts elsewhere and keep her going until she's too exhausted to dream when she does drop off to sleep. Unfortunately, before I can ponder that, my inner vampire reminds me that I haven't fed what it would call properly in several days. A few mouthfuls of Elena's blood and a handful of bourbon Bloody Marys isn't going to cut it.

When I made the decision last night to make Elena mine, I promised myself that from that moment forward, I would never feed off any human except Elena, and then only with her permission. She had made me drink her blood last night because there weren't any other options available to us at the time. And I'm not going to ask to drink her blood with the kind of hunger I'm suffering right now. The human food today helped keep the Craving at bay but I'm still going to need blood and soon. And there's only one way to do so and stick to the promise I made myself: rob a blood bank.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks softly.

"I'm thinking that you're not going to be very happy with our next stop," I tell her truthfully, flipping on the blinker to signal we're taking the next exit.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Elena, you have to remember, I'm a vampire," I remind her. "All that human food we had today may have satisfied your hunger. But it does very little for mine."

I glance at her in time to see the surprised look flash over her features. Apparently, she had actually forgotten I'm not just another human. She sighs and I can hear the resignation in it. "So what's our next stop?" she asks hesitantly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hunt," I reassure her. She sighs again, this time in relief. "But unless you plan on donating your blood every time I need to feed to satisfy my inner vampire, we're going to have to rob blood banks off and on throughout this road trip. It's something you're going to have to accept. If I don't start feeding regularly, I'm not going to be able to effectively protect you. As it is, I haven't fed properly in nearly three full days. The blood I drained from you as well as what was in my drinks last night at the vampire bar was not enough to make up for going two full days without blood."

I can almost hear the gears turning in her head. "How much blood would make up for it?" she asks.

I shrug as I take the exit. "Even if you were willing to become my sole source of blood, we're still going to have to get into a blood bank tonight. The amount I need right now is more than I can safely drain from you," I tell her seriously.

"So I could be your sole source of blood, once you fill up this time?" Had this not occurred to her before?

"If you're actually considering doing that for me, you'd better think hard. It would mean that I'll be feeding from you at least once a day. On most days it would be two or even three times a day. As you now know, I can make the feeding highly pleasurable for you." The heat radiating off of her turns up several notches in intensity as she blushes. "But you can never forget what would be going on is still more primal than me giving you a pleasurable experience. You can never forget the blood I would be draining from you is the sustenance I need to continue my existence."

I looked over at her. She was staring at me, but I continued. She had to hear this. "If you choose to become my sole source of blood, you'll never again be able to deny me when I tell you I need to tap one of your veins. If you're really considering this, you've got to remember all that. I'm not Stefan. I refuse to feed off Bambi or Thumper or any other woodland creatures he may snack on. To be able to effectively protect you from the very real dangers of this world, I need human blood. Period. So think very hard about the sacrifices you will have to make should you choose to be my only source of blood."

"What kind of sacrifices are you talking about?" She sounded less enthused. Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

I forged on. "Some of them are pretty damn severe, more so than you might think. I will never grow any older. I was trapped in a twenty-four-year-old body for eternity when I turned. That means I can't stay in any one place too long or people will begin to notice I'm not aging. So before that happens, I'll have to move on. And you'll have to move on with me if you make this choice. You'll never be able to settle down and make a home somewhere. You won't be able to make any close ties because you'll be forced to cut them as soon as we leave town. That's the problem with being a vampire: you can never settle down and you'll never have a family of your own. Nor can you have any close ties with any one community because you'll just have to cut them cleanly when you move on."

I sigh as I pull into the parking lot of a small hospital. I find a parking spot and cut the engine, but neither of us get out. "You need to think about all that, Elena. Choosing to stay with me will require a lot more sacrifice than you can even begin to imagine. And if you choose to be my sole source of blood, that will be the same as choosing to stay with me. Because if you ever walk away, I'll have no choice but to continue robbing blood banks so that I don't desiccate into a mummified state. And you better damn well believe that I won't give up on trying to convince you to let me turn you, at which point I won't be able to use you as a source of blood for sustenance. Only the blood of the living will sustain a vampire and keep them from desiccating. And, as much as I wish it weren't so, vampires are referred to as undead for a reason: we are quite literally the walking dead. We have to die to attain our immortal status and we need to feed on the blood of the living to keep from desiccating."

"What happens when a vampire desiccates?" she asks, curious.

I grimace. "When a vampire goes too long without the blood of the living, their body starts the slow process of mummifying around them. As time passes and the vampire continues to forgo blood for whatever reason, the mummification speeds up. In just a couple weeks, the vampire's body will be too mummified to even move. And the process continues on and on as blood is withheld. Throughout it, the vampire's awareness and senses remain just as sharp as if they hadn't desiccated. I once met a vampire who had gone through it," I tell her, shaking my head slowly as the memories surface. "She said that, even after the last drop of borrowed blood in her veins worked its way out of her system, her heart kept beating and her veins kept pulsing as if there was blood in them, but only air flowed through them and it was excruciating. Not to mention she could feel it as her flesh continued to dry out and harden. The rest of the picture she painted for me was worse than gruesome. She said the only reason she recovered from it was because a group of human explorers had decided to open the catacomb she had been sealed within. One of them cut his hand on the flint rock she had spent the last century propped against and a drop of his blood landed on her lower lip. The blood drop rolled into her mouth and gave her just enough strength to move her mummified body in time to capture the injured human. I won't go into detail of what happened next. Use your imagination."

Elena shook her head. "I just wish my imagination wasn't as good as it is at the moment," she tells me. She sighs and opens her mouth to speak but I shake my head.

"Think on what I said while you help me um, make a withdrawal from the blood bank here. When I have what I need to satisfy the Craving for now, then you can tell me your decision," I tell her. "Your choice will be the basis of whether or not I grab some extra for the road. Now, c'mon. Sun's down, which means ER patients are going to start pouring in if this hospital is like the others I've been in. We're probably going to have a few close calls in getting the blood I need."

Elena sighs and obediently climbs out at the same time I do. I lock my car and meet her at the back of the Camaro. I wrap an arm around her shoulders and lead her inside.

**Elena**

Of everything on my long résumé of crazy things I've done, I think robbing a blood bank with Damon is probably at the top of the list. But I don't voice that thought as Damon guides me into the frigid lobby. I shiver and Damon draws me closer to him. Why do hospitals have to be so damn cold?

I pay close attention to Damon as he shows me what to do. Not that I necessarily want the knowledge, but Damon's made it perfectly clear he intends to whittle away at me until I agree to let him turn me into a vampire. And considering the era his human years had taken place in, I'm positive that he's a damn good whittler. So fighting it is pretty much a lost cause. But I'll fight as long as I can. I don't want to be trapped in a body that looks like Katherine's for eternity. Maybe when I'm twenty-one, when I no longer look like a half-grown girl, I'll let him turn me. But not now, not when I look so much like Katherine that her enemies would mistake me for her were I a vampire.

Damon guides me to the front desk and clears his throat. The receptionist raises her eyes from her computer. "Can I help you?" she asks, sounding extremely bored.

I watch in fascination as Damon uses compulsion to capture her eyes and mind before he speaks. "I'd like to know where your blood supply is kept," he says.

"Down the hall to your left, take a right at the end and it's the last door on the left," she says in the monotone that signals the compulsion is working.

"Is it locked?" Damon asks.

"Yes."

"How do I unlock it?"

"A staff member with clearance can unlock it by holding their ID in front of the reader," she replies.

Damon grimaces. Apparently that news has just made what we need to do a lot trickier. "We were never here," he compels the girl.

"You were never here," she repeats dutifully.

While the compulsion is taking root in her subconscious, Damon pulls me down the hall the receptionist had mentioned. "Now what?" I ask.

"Now we have to find someone who has clearance to enter the room," he replies tersely. "And I'm going to have to 'convince' them to cooperate with us."

I grimace. I don't like the thought of all the compulsion he's going to have to do just so we can get in the blood room. But I also know that we don't have any choice because he needs the blood. He explained his only other option is for him to drain someone completely of their blood, killing them in the process. And, as much as I don't like the thought of him compelling someone, the thought of him killing someone is even less appealing. I know it doesn't make much difference to him which we do, but I feel like I'm stuck with choosing the lesser of two evils.

Maybe an indefinite amount of time in just my company will be enough to bring out even more of the man I know is buried deep inside Damon. I've seen enough to know there is a good, caring man buried beneath the vampire he's embraced. I've known it on an instinctive level since I first met him. My heart has been telling me since the moment I first met his eyes that a good soul hides beneath the bad exterior. And now my head has finally come to agree. He's proved it to me, at least, over the last few months.

He probably doesn't even realize his humanity has been sneaking out in flashes. He probably thinks there's not even a shred of humanity left in him. So it's up to me, not only to prove to him that he still has some humanity left in him, but to also bring it to the surface. _"All right, Elena, you know what you need to do. But how do you go about doing it?"_ I think to myself.

Honestly, my prior attempts to draw the man out of the monster that Damon has allowed himself to become have been feeble at best. But they have had some success, however slight it may be. If I put my whole heart into it, I'm sure I can bring Damon fully in touch with the humanity I know is still a part of him. And having an indefinite amount of time ahead of us where we will only be in the company of each other will surely be more than enough.

But the fact that prior attempts to pry out his humanity succeeded even slightly must surely mean that deep down, Damon wants to change for the better. But, he has to see that having his humanity showing is actually a good thing. Otherwise, I might as well be pounding my head against a brick wall. I need to give him a good reason to want to become a better person, and the only way I can think of to do that is by setting the example for him. I may have spent much of my teenage years attending parties and being the stereotypical teenage cheerleader, but I have never let what those around me were doing influence me to do things that went against the set of morals my parents had drilled into Jeremy and me. And the one time I did do something that went against my moral code, the results not only affected me, but my entire family. Going against my promise to be there for family game night resulted in my parents' deaths. As I woke up in the hospital room and overheard the nurse and doctor arguing over whether or not to tell me the grim news, I vowed to myself I would never again do something that went against my moral code.

Now, I'm walking next to Damon as he searches for someone who has security clearance to enter the blood room, and I realize that in making that vow, I didn't realize my choices wouldn't always be black or white. This entire scenario and my choices are only viewable in shades of grey.

So I have to be honest with myself, at least: the only option that doesn't conflict with my moral code is the one where he feeds me his blood first before draining me to the point of death. I will be able to come back to him. Unfortunately, that option is only a one-time deal and then we would need to come up with enough blood to keep two vampires going rather than just one.

I sigh and Damon glances at me. We're alone in the hall at the moment. "What's up, kitten?" he asks softly.

"I've figured out that life will rarely ever be as simple as choosing between black and white options," I murmur.

Damon chuckles. "I realized that even before I was turned," he admits.

"You said you shared Katherine with your brother," I acknowledge.

"No, I'm talking about even before I met her," he replies. "Apparently my brother failed to mention I was a Civil War veteran. I turned twenty-one the year it broke out and was drafted almost immediately." He grimaces as the memories flood his mind.

"Oh," I gasp. He doesn't need to elaborate. I've heard enough war stories from other veterans to know that once you're on the battlefield, you either grow up fast or die young. Until now, I had never paid much attention to them because they were always told by veterans who had lost too much to the wars they had fought in to allow anyone to make war seem glorious.

Damon sighs. "I was kept moving with the army for three long years, only having the occasional bundle of letters from Stefan to briefly brighten my life. When I was finally allowed to go home, I stopped by my tent long enough to pack up, found my horse and was gone as fast as he could gallop. I decided that three years spent fighting for a side I didn't want to win the war was three years of wasted time," he says. "I wasn't going to go back for any reason." His lips twitch. "Father was furious when he found out I had no intention of going back. And just a few weeks after I finally made it home, Katherine waltzed into my life and set my best friend and me at each other's throats. Stefan and I have been butting heads ever since."

I look at him in surprise. He chuckles at my reaction. "I know, right? Looking at us now, no one would ever believe were the closest of friends, as well as brothers." He does the eye thing that tends to turn my knees to Jell-o. "These days, half the time we fight, I'm just amusing myself with how he gets riled up over the least little thing. I've walked this planet for nearly a hundred and seventy years, Elena," he points out. "There isn't a lot in this world I haven't at least tried once." I open my mouth to speak but he holds up his free hand in a motion to keep quiet. I close my mouth, knowing that his superior senses have detected someone approaching us, although the hallway is empty.

Suddenly a young woman wearing the white coat of a lab technician turns the corner a few steps away from us. She immediately frowns when she sees us. "What are you doing here? This area of the hospital is restricted to staff members only," she says, a clear warning in her voice as she pushes the thick plastic frames of her glasses back up her nose with one finger.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Damon says in his most pleasant tone. "I'm afraid we got turned around at some point and are now completely lost. Do you mind showing us the way to the front desk?"

The woman sighs in frustration. She glances at the charts she carries, making it obvious she's deciding whether to take the charts to their destination or get us out of a restricted area. She then makes the mistake of looking up and meeting first my eyes, then Damon's.

"Actually, we need to ask you a question," he says.

"What do you need know?" she asks.

"Do you by chance have clearance to the blood supply room down the hall?" he asks.

"Yes, I do."

"Perfect. Tell me, will it be possible for us to get back out without your further assistance?" he asks.

"Yes. The door only locks itself on the outside," the technician replies.

"Good. Now, here's what I want you to do. I want you to let us into the blood supply room. Once you do, you'll forget that we were ever here and will go about your business. Understood?" Damon's voice is soft.

"Yes."

"Good. Lead the way," he says.

The poor lab technician proceeds to take us back to the blood room. She holds her badge up to the reader and the door swings open. Damon drags me inside and shuts the door. I'm surprised that what we thought was a solid metal door actually has a one-way window in it.

"Well, what do you know? They are actually giving us a way to watch for anyone who will catch us in here without being seen ourselves," Damon chuckles. "Elena, you're on lookout duty."

I nod and immediately focus all my attention on the view out the window, looking first one way, then the other. Damon wouldn't put me on lookout duty just to keep me out of trouble. Okay, maybe he would, but his tone suggested this wasn't such a time.

Time seems to slow to a crawl as I keep alert for any sign of anyone heading this way. Not that I will see them in time to do more than alert Damon that we might have company. I hear him muttering to himself under his breath, too soft for me to make out more than the faint hum of his voice. I don't even dare glance at my watch. It feels like it's taking him hours to get the blood he needs, but it's really only my fear of being caught.

"Decision time, Elena," he says softly, so as not to startle me.

It takes a second for me to remember what decision he's talking about. I firm up my spine. "Get only what you need right now and let's get out of here," I whisper, knowing he'll hear me.

He sucks in a sharp breath. "If you make that choice, you can never change your mind," he points out softly. "'No' can always be changed to 'yes' at a later date. But if you say 'yes' now, you can never take it back. So are you completely sure you're willing to do this?"

I don't even hesitate. "I've never been surer of anything in my life."

"Fine. But you better remember that I gave you a chance to back out of this. You've submitted to this for the rest of your human life," he tells me. I hear the sound of a zipper and in the next second, Damon is next to me. He's carrying a tiny duffel bag that I didn't even see. I bite my lip to keep from crying out when he suddenly scoops me up in his arms. I glare at him for startling me like that, but obediently wrap my arms around his neck for support. He balances me in one arm just long enough to slip out the door and back into the hall. Then he balances me in both arms again before taking off at vamp speed to get us out of the hospital before we're caught.

We're back at the Camaro in seconds. Damon sets me on my feet and holds me long enough for me to find my balance. Being carried by Damon as he vamps around is like being on an extreme rollercoaster. I nod when I finally get my equilibrium back. He lets go of me then shocks me by passing the duffel to me. He arches an eyebrow at me when I just stare at it. Finally, I sigh and take the bag from him. We get into the car, but Damon waits until we're back on the interstate before speaking. "Get a blood bag out of duffel bag, pull the valve off, and pass the bag to me," he instructs quietly.

I sigh and do as he says. I glance at the label before I pass it over. "O Positive?" I ask dryly. That's my blood type.

Damon grabs the bag and takes a swallow by sticking the tube in his mouth and using it like a straw. He then shrugs. "I've always preferred Type O blood. It's sweeter than the other blood types and I happen to have a sweet tooth," he replies. "Or fang, in this case."

I groan at his pun. "Not funny," I tell him.

"You were laughing your ass off last night at my jokes," he points out.

"I was drunk," I remind him.

He flashes a smirk at me. "Well, you know what they say about alcohol," he teases.

I frown, knowing that I'm going to regret responding to that taunt. "What? That it makes you do crazy things?" I ask.

He chuckles. "Close," he concedes.

"Tell me then," I invite.

"It drives away inhibitions," he replies. By the twinkle in his eyes, though, I know that I'm going to regret trying to one-up him. "And you, my dear, lost quite a few inhibitions last night," he adds, glancing at me with such intense bedroom eyes that I simultaneously blush crimson and become thoroughly aroused. His nostrils flare slightly and my embarrassment grows exponentially. Damn vampires and their super senses! "So, keep your eyes on the billboards for a good place to eat," he says. Dammit! He has to thoroughly arouse me and then have the fucking nerve to change the damn subject entirely!

Suddenly, I get a wicked idea that just might be a way to get even. "You decide," I say. "But after dinner, we need to find a gym. You may be 'trapped' as you say in an eternal body, but I am human, which means my body will still react positively or negatively to what I do during the day. And while the shopping trip did require a lot of walking, I haven't had a good full body workout since before we left Mystic Falls."

**Damon**

I grit my teeth as I see my attempt to torment her sexually starting a domino effect that will lead to having the tables turned on me if I'm not careful. And when she mentions wanting to put in a full body workout at a gym, I realize I just might have met my match in the art of fencing with words, for all that she is more than a century and a half younger than me. My cock twitches in my designer jeans as her words bring up highly sensual images in my head. But I'm not going to let her beat me that easily.

"I'll see what I can do about finding us a gym," I reply, finishing my blood bag. I pass it to her. "There's a big trash bag in the back floorboard. Put that and the valve in it and pass me another blood bag. I'm still a little hungry."

I catch the smug little smirk tugging at her lips from the corner of my eye. An equally smug smirk spreads across my own lips. _"Let the games begin,"_ I think wickedly. This road trip keeps looking better by the minute, save for that near-miss with the rapist in Hot Topic.

* * *

Sarah: and there is the very long third chapter of When Things Change. It's almost as long as the Decade Dance chapters in Setting Things Right and The Woman I Love. Now, reviews would be most appreciated, my darling readers. And you can be sure that I'll reply to you at the beginning of the next chapter! So, go to the little box at the bottom of the page, type in a name you want me to call you or sign in if you have a Fanfiction account, and leave me a few words on your thoughts about the story so far and maybe let me know where you'd like to see this head, okay? It would only take a few seconds at most and I would be overjoyed to read each and every review I get!


	4. The Art of Foreplay

When Things Change  
DG32173

From Sarah: And here's chapter 4. I hope everyone continues to enjoy what I write. Also, yes_,_ I _know_ there are no Boston's anywhere in Georgia, so I'm going to use the menu of the Boston's that is in my area for the one Damon and Elena go to. I am not disclosing the location of that Boston's, so don't ask. Also, to any of my readers who just so happen to be named Jack Harris, please don't take offense that the name I came up with for the rapist last chapter just so happened to be your name as well. I was wanting a name that sounded pretty common and I'm sorry if I had inadvertently offended you in the process. It was by no means my intention.

_**PLEASE READ!**_  
I highly suggest going back and rereading the third chapter to those who have read it prior to this update. My new beta has a great deal more experience as an editor than the beta that originally helped me with this fanfic, and in the process of enhancing the readability of this fanfic, some of the scenes of last chapter have been altered. Just a helpful suggestion to avoid future confusion.

_**CREDIT**_  
Credit goes to my original beta for this fanfic, _VDfan2107,_ for his help in putting this together so far. And credit also goes to my new beta, _Natchez,_ for her willingness to help me make my stories the best that they can be. Thanks so much, you two.

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

Guest of chapter 3: As I mentioned above, I had begged forgiveness from anyone who happened to share the same name as the rapist I had used last chapter that might have been offended by it. As for the rest of your review, I'm glad you are looking forward to Delena's road trip. Here's the next chapter.

_stordec23:_ Glad you found it and glad you enjoy it so much. Here's the next chapter.

_jairem:_ Well, after the tongue-lashing Elena gave him in chapter two that she was by no means through with, Stefan will be thinking long and hard about whether he _really_ wants to put himself up for round 2 any time soon. Because there will inevitably be a round 2. As for their shopping trip, well, Damon's going to soon learn the consequences of promising a girl he will get her anything she wants. Saying more will be giving spoilers, so that's all I'm going to say. Enjoy what I have in store for my lovely readers in this chapter.

_PattyFleur87:_ Glad you have enjoyed what I have written so far. I hope you continue to enjoy what I write. Here's the new chapter.

_JMHUW:_ Yeah, Damon seems very good at comforting Elena while at the same time bashing his brother. And of course Elena can combine telling her loved ones about the road trip and bashing Stefan since Stefan's betrayal of her faith in him is the very reason she needs to go on a road trip with Damon. Her multitasking is actually quite simple. I agree with your insight into Caroline's character. And when you were reading about Elena thinking about how life is more often than not just various shades of grey, that was when she was finally accepting that fact and in doing so she was growing up. Unfortunately, everyone must reach that sign of maturity on their own and nothing and no one can force that acceptance on an individual. As for what Damon did in regards to telling Elena the facts behind the choice she was considering making and then in making her confirm she understood those facts in their entirety once she made her choice, we have all seen that even way back in the early episodes of Season 1, Damon has never lied to her anything, not even in the early episodes of Season 1 where he was a real bastard to her in other ways. Damon may have misled Elena by withholding part of the truth, but he has _never_ flat-out lied to her face whereas even now Stefan doesn't think _twice_ about looking Elena in the eye and lying through his teeth with no _trace_ of the truth in his words. Damon seems to place an enormous value on honesty no matter what _other_ sins he may be committing. As for what will be going on in Mystic Falls while they are away, Elena will be kept up-to-date by Bonnie via phone calls and text messages. But there will be no flashing back over there while our lovebirds are traveling to see how things are going. This story is centered purely around Damon and Elena and will be through to the conclusion. And, damn, I got a little longwinded in my reply to your review. Hope I answered your non-questions adequately because I'm not going to be giving any spoilers about the future. You must wait to find out what will happen next until the next chapter is posted, just like everyone else.

_YAZMIN V:_ Well, whatever is giving you that vibe can stop it. I can assure all readers who were worrying about it that the serial rapist was _just_ after his next victim and neither he nor Bonnie's vision are in any way connected to Katherine. The rapist just so happened to have gone after Elena because she had been in the kind of place in a store that he looks for his victims to be in. He had no way of knowing that she was under the fierce protection of something that was far more than merely human and by the time he realized he had tried to bite off more than he could chew, it was too late to avoid the consequences. He had merely thought that Elena had actually been wandering around the mall on her own and was bluffing about having her boyfriend with her to get him to leave her alone. By the time that he realized she had not only _not_ been bluffing that her boyfriend would show up but also that her hint that her boyfriend would kill him for harassing her had been nothing less than a fact, it was too damn late. As of right now, I do _not_ plan on including Katherine in this fanfic. We all know that plans can change, though, but don't hold your breath over Katherine showing up.

_xpaigers91:_ Well, you're a new name among my reviewers. Glad you have enjoyed what you have read so far and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

_Lady Mythology:_ Here's more. Sorry about the delay in updates.

A girl: I always loved Delena road trips, too. Here's the update.

_kfulmer7:_ I am so glad you have enjoyed each of the previous chapters. Here's te next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 4  
The Art of Foreplay

I chuckle at the shock emanating off of Elena at my choice of where to get dinner. "Are you crazy?" she demands, whirling in her seat to face me. "You're taking me to a bar?"

Yep. We had just pulled into the parking lot of a Boston's Restaurant and Sports Bar. "I might be crazy, but not for the reason you're thinking," I assure her, unfastening my seatbelt. "Come on. This place lets you build your own pizza and the sizes are twice as big. If you're gonna insist after-dinner workout, then you're gonna need the energy to do it right."

I climb out of the Camaro and give her a look that tells her in no uncertain terms that I'm not going to get back into the car until after we share a pizza here. She groans and gets out as well. I wrap my arm around her shoulders to guide her inside. The hostess greets us and I ask for a corner booth, but considering how crowded the bar is, I'm not counting on one being available.

"I'll see what I can do," she says, grabbing menus. "Right this way," she says. I'll give her credit: she checked every corner booth in the whole place but they were all taken. "I'm afraid I won't be able to get you the corner booth you requested," she says apologetically.

"It's fine," I assure her. "It's just a preference. How about that booth over there?" I ask, motioning to a booth that had just been prepped for the next customers. While it's not a corner booth, it's right next to one and I will also have clear view of the majority of the place if I take the booth with its back to the corner booth.

"Okay," she says, quickly leading us to the requested booth.

She left the menus and Elena and I sit down. Since this isn't a true corner booth, one segment of tables is out of my direct line of sight. Because of this and because they serve alcohol, I'm going to have to keep my guard up at all times. I can't let another opportunity open up for Elena to come to harm. Such opportunities are like playing Russian roulette. You can never forget that there's a live round in one of the chambers.

I'm the only one who will be protecting her out here away from Mystic Falls, and each time I let my guard down is like one more shot from the revolver. Sure, we might be lucky enough to avoid the bullet many times. But if we do, I might get cocky. And when I get cocky, I make mistakes. And those mistakes could result in catastrophe when the chamber with the bullet finally fires.

"You're awfully quiet, Damon. What are you thinking about?" Elena asks softly.

I shake my head and pick up the menu. I gave her my word I wouldn't bring up what happened at the mall. "Just thinking about the trip ahead of us," I reply. Well, that is true. I was thinking about the trip. But not in the way I'm letting her assume.

"Yeah," she says, returning her attention to her menu. "I've never travelled outside of Virginia. I'm trying to figure out where I want to go first. I mean, this road trip doesn't have a deadline or anything. I'm surprised Jenna agreed so easily to letting me travel around without a chaperone and with no deadlines.

I chuckle. I was right. In her adamant refusal to even contemplate what nearly happened a couple of hours ago, she won't realize that very same event would be something I have to keep in mind in order to keep her safe. And that's something I'm not used to. I've always travelled alone, only looking up Stefan when he falls off the wagon. I kept tabs on his whereabouts over the decades so I could get to him in time to keep him from getting killed during his Ripper episodes. Lexi's old number is still on my speed dial, even though she's been truly dead for months. I'm used to just having to look out for myself because I've never been with someone I couldn't cut ties with the second I decided to move on.

That's no longer true. Now I have Elena to worry about. Not that she isn't worth the worry a million times over, but I'm going to have to break away from the thought pattern I had settled into the first time I flipped off my humanity switch because it had all become too damn much to handle. And I can't just flip the switch this time, because even my vampire side has taken to Elena. My inner vampire is determined to make Elena my eternal mate. And it's only the humanity in me that's stopping it from trying to force that status on her. Not that the mating marks would appear without her wholehearted agreement to becoming my eternal mate, but tell that to the vampire me.

Once a vampire finds that one human who will become their eternal mate, their inner vampire recognizes them immediately for what they will become and drives the one in control of the body to insanity as it tries to force the relationship to rush to what it will become. But even a womanizer like I am knows that kind of relationship can't be rushed.

In finally accepting that my inner vampire was right about Elena last night as I laid my mark on her, I had to also accept that her influence on me was pretty substantial when she hated me. Now that she's decided to give me a chance to win her heart, her influence on me will grow exponentially. And I'm not just making a bet that it will; I know it will. That's because Elena Gilbert is a good person. And when a good person decides to give someone a chance to prove their worth, there are very few in this world who would let that chance slip by them. I'm not about to pass it up, either. Particularly not when it's from the girl I plan to spend eternity with.

Elena suddenly kicks my shin under the table. I wince and look at her. "Damon, I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes," she says disapprovingly. "Seriously, where is your mind that you, a vampire, couldn't hear what I was saying?"

I'm instantly chagrined, not only because she caught me woolgathering but that I was so lost in thought that I stopped paying attention to what was going on around me. And here I was just thinking that I'd have to be even more on my guard in order to protect her! I immediately focus one her. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?" I ask.

Elena sighs. "Whatever you've been thinking about can be set aside for at least a little while," she informs me. "Anyway, I decided we'll share a friends-sized create your own pizza. Now we just have to choose the toppings. I had to tell the waitress we need more time to decide, but I didn't tell her that was because you kept drifting off into outer space."

I shake my head and look at the available toppings. We quickly fall into a discussion of the pros and cons of each, but in the end, we decide on what Ric calls a "garbage pizza" that includes nearly every topping on menu. This is gonna be a $25 pie and it had better be a damn good one or I'm never coming to this chain again. While I'm digesting how much the pizza is gonna cost, Elena starts examining the appetizers. I know I have more money than she can even begin to comprehend, but choosing this restaurant is going to cost me a bundle. It's too late now, though. Elena's already looking forward to the pizza and we haven't even glimpsed at the drinks menu. And from the look of intense concentration on her face, she's going to insist on getting an appetizer, too.

Sure enough, she says, "Let's get an order of mozzarella sticks to tide us over until the pizza gets here," she says. She doesn't look up or she would see my face twist into a grimace. Instead, she flips over to the drinks section of the menu. I'm a little surprised she's not going to insist on something alcoholic.

I sigh as I decide I'm going to have to forgo anything that contains alcohol, too. My head needs to be clear of even a mild buzz with the way things are going. I'm 100 percent sober right now and I'm still losing track of what's going on around me in favor of what's going on in my head. I realize I'm on the verge of doing so again and immediately turn my thoughts to the non-alcoholic section of the menu.

"You're not going to drink?" Elena asks when she notices I'm studying the no-booze side of the menu.

"Not tonight," I reply in a tone warning her to not question my reasoning. "I think I'll go with coffee," I continue, closing my menu and setting it aside.

Elena gives me a look. "Coffee? With pizza? Yuck. Let me guess, you were so lost in your thoughts that you didn't even notice when our waitress showed up, did you?" she asks shrewdly.

I grimace and that's all the response she needs. She sighs, shaking her head slowly. Rather than replying, she twists in her seat and cranes her neck in search of our waitress. After a minute, she catches the eyes of a busty waitress whose long hair is such a brilliant shade of red it has to be dyed. She signals that we're ready to order. The redhead nods and signals she'll be with us in a minute. Elena nods and turns to face me. She bursts out laughing after one glance at my face.

"And what is so damn hilarious?" I ask her. She just shakes her head and holds up a finger to signal me to let her get over her giggles. I groan, prop my elbow on the table, and bury my face in my hand.

By the time Elena finally gets back in control of herself, the waitress has arrived to take our orders. We place our order and Elena orders sweet tea. After the waitress leaves to take our order to the kitchen and get our drinks, I nudge her with my foot. "You're going to explain why you burst out laughing like that," I tell her. "Right now."

She smiles. "If you'd seen the look on your face when you saw our waitress, you'd know precisely why I was laughing," she says wryly. "You looked like you were seriously considering dragging me out of here without ordering so we wouldn't be waited on by her."

I scowl. "Kitten, you're going to seriously regret finding such amusement at my expense," I warn her.

Right then, our waitress returns with our drinks. Once she's gone, Elena smirks. "Regret it? I doubt it," she replies haughtily.

I raise an eyebrow at her and smirk. She's definitely going to get it now.

**Elena**

I know that by saying that I doubt Damon could make me regret laughing at his expression, I pretty much just challenged him to do it. And Damon never backs down from a challenge. This is going to be interesting.

Our waitress soon returns with our plate of mozzarella sticks. I pick one up and dip it into the marinara sauce before taking a bite. The mozzarella pulls into a long string before breaking. I glance at Damon to see him eyeing me hungrily. I finish chewing the bite and swallow it before smirking at him. He arches an eyebrow, as if to say, "What? That's it?"

I am determined to make him break from the sexual tension first. I lick my lips and nibble on my mozzarella stick, allowing him to see flashes of my teeth and tongue. I hear him swallow. But I know he's going to be much harder to crack than this.

An hour later

After we each eat half the pizza we ordered, Damon orders me a brownie hot fudge sundae, which arrives topped with whipped cream and a cherry. I pick up the cherry by the stem and suck the whipped cream off. Damon's beautiful ice blue eyes have darkened drastically with his desire over the course of our meal and I know I'm on the verge of lunging across the table to rip his clothes off despite this being a crowded restaurant.

But we're both holding ourselves firmly in check, determined to make the other crack first. Damon watches me stick the entire cherry, stem and all, into my mouth. I smirk at him as I use my tongue to twist the stem into a knot and I can tell he knows precisely what I'm doing. I pluck the knotted cherry stem from my mouth and set it on my napkin.

As I start to eat the sundae, Damon pulls it out of reach. "I'll feed it to you," he says, smirking. I'll admit, my panties get a little wet at that. I just pass my spoon to Damon, unconcerned. Instead of feeding me the first bite with my spoon, though, he takes the first bite. He licks his lips. "Pretty good," he says. "Your turn."

Does me eating off the same spoon he did count as an indirect kiss? I don't know, but I know it heightens my desire for him. I do my best not to shift in my seat, but I'm feeling more than a little uncomfortable right now. As I take the first bite of ice cream, I almost swear I can taste Damon on the spoon.

My eyes widen when he takes the next bite. I can feel myself caving already. We only manage to eat half the sundae before I reach my limit of sexual tension. "Let's get the rest to go," I say breathily.

He smirks. "Sure," he says, knowing he just won this match.

Twenty minutes later, Damon closes the door to our motel room while I aggressively try to rid us both of our clothes while locked in a kiss with him. He tastes so damn good. Once the door is shut and locked, Damon pries me off him. "Let me put the ice cream away before it melts completely," he says huskily, his shirt hanging open and the fly to his jeans unfastened.

"Who cares if it melts?" I demand, a slight whine in my voice as I slip out of Damon's shirt and my bra.

He hisses as I reach for the fly of my own jeans. A sudden wind, the disappearance of the sundae, and the flash of Damon's shirt are all that signals he even moved. He stalks to me slowly, acting every bit the top predator he is. But I'm not the least bit afraid. Ever since I laid eyes on him, some instinct told me Damon Salvatore would never intentionally hurt me.

I join his game by backing towards the bed, matching him step for step. The instant the backs of my legs hit the bed, Damon lunges forward at vampire speed. My inadequate human brain is unable to keep up for a few seconds, but when I get back in the game, I find myself flat on my back under Damon and we are both completely naked. "You couldn't even make it to the gym, sweetheart," he says, smirking at me. "Then again, I can always give you a much better workout than any fitness center on Earth."

It takes a moment for me to understand what he's talking about. Then I remember my comment in the car about heading to the gym after our meal for a full-body workout – my attempt to drive him wild. "I guess I lost this round," I admit, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling myself up against him. "But I'm far from throwing in the towel."

"I see this is going to be one hell of a road trip," he murmurs with a chuckle before capturing my lips in a kiss that turns the flames of desire in me into a white-hot inferno.

I let out a moan when Damon's hand dips down between my legs so he can slip a finger into my core. Every comparison I made this morning between Damon's skill in the bedroom and Stefan's may have been made out of anger but they were all damn true. Stefan has nothing on Damon when it comes to this. To say I was disappointed with my introduction to sex is an understatement. Even before I got with Damon last night, I knew damn well the blue-eyed vampire would never disappoint a woman in bed.

Lost in a haze of passion and desire, it takes a moment for me to realize that when Damon breaks our kiss, his lips move to the pulse point at the juncture of my left shoulder and my neck. It takes another moment for me to realize that he intends on feeding on me while we have sex. Just the thought of it nearly has me undone.

At this point, Damon has widened my entrance as much as three fingers will allow and his formidable dick is pressed against it, preparing for being inside me. Sensing that I can't possibly be any more relaxed than I am now, Damon vamps out and simultaneously sinks his fangs into my neck while driving his dick home into my core. I cry out in pleasure and I feel Damon's lips curl into as much of a triumphant smirk as he can without removing his fangs from my neck.

**Damon**

As I fight to keep from losing my senses to the rising tide of desire within me, I know that I was right to mark Elena as mine last night. A vampire can only place this spiritualistic mark on a single human in their immortal lives. It is used to mark the human the vampire plans on turning into their eternal mate. It binds the vampire to the human for eternity. That's what is generally known about the mark. Since I only just placed the mark myself, I'm still not sure what all it entails.

Shoving those thoughts aside, I focus on the here and now. I suck in mouthful after mouthful of Elena's blood as I bring her to even greater heights of passion than I did last night. By the time we are both spent from our exertions, it's well past midnight and my Craving for blood is fully sated. Elena falls asleep even as I reposition us so that she's sprawled on top of me. I close my eyes and morph my face back into that of the man I once was. I stretch my senses to the limit but detect no threats beyond this room. Satisfied it's safe to do so, I allow myself to fall asleep, knowing if a threat should appear, the battle-readiness I have kept sharply tuned since my years in the Confederate army will wake me.


End file.
